South Korea said yesterday it was preparing for talks with North Korea this week on economic cooperation despite the threat by the communist state of a possible attack.
The North warned on Friday of a possible “retaliatory” war against the South over Seoul’s alleged contingency plan to handle regime collapse in the North.
On Sunday, Pyongyang’s state media publicized a military drill attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, in which he watched his troops “shattering the ‘enemy camp’ to pieces.”
Friday’s angry statement, which came hours after the North said it would accept food aid from the South, also threatened to cut all dialogue and cooperation with the South unless it apologizes for the alleged plan.
But the South’s unification ministry said yesterday it hoped to send delegates to talks with the North scheduled for today at the Seoul-funded industrial site in Kaesong just north of the border.
Spokesman Chun Hae-sung said the North had not yet sent a message approving the entry of Seoul’s delegates, but this would normally come later in the day before such a meeting.
Aside from accepting food aid, the North last week made other apparently conciliatory gestures after months of cross-border tensions.
The two sides agreed to hold Tuesday’s talks to discuss ways to revitalize the Kaesong joint industrial estate, a follow-up to last month’s joint survey of industrial estates overseas.
Seoul hopes the meeting, the first official contact this year, will develop into a regular forum on developing Kaesong, where 40,000 North Koreans work at 110 South Korean factories.
The North also proposed talks to restart another joint venture, a tourism resort at Mount Kumgang. But that was before Friday’s statement from the National Defence Commission, the North’s top body which is chaired by Kim.
Unconfirmed South Korean reports said last week Seoul has drawn up a plan to administer the North in case of regime collapse, a coup or a popular uprising.
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